Another World
by IWontApologizeForWhoIAm
Summary: Completely AU. Ron needs a date for the Christmas ball, but considering how popular he is it shouldnt be a problem at all. Except when his eye lands on the shy bookworm, Hermione Granger. And thats how it all starts.


A/N: Okay, well this is an AU, mostly surrounding Ron and Hermione. The story will be far from original, but i'm not exactly writing this to please anyone else...so yeah! Hopefully i dont offend any Harry Potter fans since this is mainly about romance... One thing i should warn you about, Ginny is in 4th grade (same as Harry, Hermione and Ron) and her and Ron are twins, but they're not identical or extremely close. I just changed that to kind of make it easier for me. =)

To be honest, i havent really got a real plot, so suggestions are very welcome, though if there's none i'll figure it out =).

Well...I hope you enjoy it, and i'm really excited to see what kind of response i'll be getting...cause this is pretty much my first AU and i've never really written anything like this! =D

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter One: Too Many, Not Enough Options<strong>

"You did great in Quidditch today Ron." squeaked Lavender, one of the many girls with a crush on Ron. She smiled at him sweetly, but not innocently.

"Thanks," Ron said, as if he was surprised that she complimented him. He was always being complimented. Whether the people who did meant it or not was a whole other thing. Ron, in fact, did not have a crush on Lavender. He doesn't have a crush on anyone, really. The ratio to people who want to snog him and people he wants to snog is pretty much way off. You'd think a guy would love that, but Ron doesn't really find it so spectacular. Just as Harry was coming up to Ron from behind, a group 3rd grade girls walked up to him giggling, each sheepishly and generously letting out compliments to Ron, most regarding his achievements in Quidditch. Ron said thanks a lot more boastfully than when he did to Lavender, and the 3rd graders walked off, seemingly satisfied.

"Typical aye?" Harry says from behind, catching up with Ron.

"Yeah," Ron replies, noticing Harry and being slightly embarrassed at the tone he used to say thanks. He was usually a lot more modest.

"If I didn't know any better I'd say you were starting to enjoy it." Harry slightly raises his eyebrows at Ron, not very impressed.

Ron lets out a tiny snort. "Not a chance." He says, grinning at Harry. Being Ron, he couldn't really be sure, most of the time, if people wanted popularity and/or to be known as 'cool because he hangs out with Ron' or if they wanted to simply be friends with Ron. But he was sure that Harry was his friend, and his best one he is

Just about every student was seated at the long tables in the Great Hall but no food appeared before them. Dumbledore stood up to the crowd's surprise. Though they were hungry, no one dared to yell something like "where is the food?"

"Good evening, students and staff…I have a short announcement before we begin the feast. In 2 weeks from now, the school will be holding the annual Christmas ball. Now please keep in mind that this is a formal ball, you come dressed formally with a date, or you don't come at all. You will most likely receive more information regarding this from your professors. Let the feast begin!" Dumbledore finished in his usual calm, tranquil tone.

The Great Hall filled with chatter about the Christmas ball. Though it was only new to the 1st graders, most had forgotten, and there was now lots of talk about cancelling their trips home for Christmas. Ron and Harry hadn't had any plans to go home for Christmas, especially Harry, so that was one less trouble for them.

"You don't think we really _have_ to have dates, do you?" Ron asks Harry in a hushed tone.

Harry shrugs, "I suppose. But you don't really think _you__'__re_ going to have trouble getting a date, do you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ron asks, tilting his head in a questioning way.

"C'mon Ron. You could have any girl in this room that you wanted."

"Well _if_ I could, where do I even start?" Ron asks, his head surveying the room filled with countless people, and from Ron's current view, a whole lot of them looked like girls, in other words, people who, starting from about a few minutes ago Ron was nervous to be around. . Harry shakes his head, a knowing grin on his face.

"Later." Harry says shortly after taking a long sip from his flask. An unsatisfied Ron impatiently starts on his second piece of chicken.

"…_you__ come__ dressed __formally __with__ a__ date,__ or __you__ don__'__t __come__ at __all__…" _that particular line from Dumbledore's announcement keeps ringing through Hermione's head. She hadn't had plans to go home, but now that the Christmas ball was officially on and Hermione was positive that no one would ask her, visiting mum and dad for a few days didn't sound so bad. It'd be better then staying in the library while the rest of the school was at a ball and all because you didn't have a date.

"Hermione?" Ginny, someone Hermione hoped she could consider her best friend slightly nudged her, shaking Hermione out of her negative thoughts. "You alright?" Ginny asked once she had gotten Hermione's attention.

"Yeah, fine." Hermione replied without much confidence, plastering a fake smile that she often used on her face. Ginny rolled her eyes without Hermione noticing, she knew Hermione's fake smile any day but decided to just let it go.

"You're not going home for Christmas, right?" Ginny asks.

"Err-"

"I know this must sound ghastly, but I really think that Dean is going to ask me, you know? It's just my intuition, but my intuition hasn't been wrong before…" Ginny says, talking at almost rapid speed. Hermione knew that Ginny had a crush on Dean already, but she's never really said anything more than "I have a tiny, tiny crush on him, but whatever." Never has she expressed feelings about wanting to be asked to a ball by him. Hermione lets out a heavy sigh that unexpectedly goes unnoticed by Ginny.

"What does your intuition tell you?" Ginny asked, her voice full of interest.

Hermione opened her mouth to say that she doesn't think she'll be going but stops herself at the idea of bursting Ginny's bubble, "Nothing yet." She replies, her fake smile coming in handy once again.

* * *

><p>Reviews are everything! (And they inspire me to write more!) =D<p> 


End file.
